Slatted House vs unslatted

[Dunnock1987]

Coming at this as very new to building my own cattle house so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am in Northern Ireland so if anyone has any recent steer on prices it would be appreciated.
is there much of a difference in price to have a cattle house with slates and a pit underneath as compared to just concrete floors and how much so?
and secondly what would roughly be the price to have a shed the size of the picture, I have attached not including gates/feeding barriers.
and would the tinned sides be better or wooden panels. Again pros cons and prices etc.
I am trying to expand the family farm and I am trying to get a rough price from some of yous who are a lot more knowledgeable than I am to see if it would be worth the investment.
many thanks

 

[Al R]

I knew I’d seen it advertised somewhere before. Going off these, £12 x 2000 = £24k, so under £20k my guess would be if you asked someone?

 

[Al R]

To answer your question, straw is expensive in NI, that’s why so many people have cattle and sheep on slats.

 

[Dunnock1987]

I knew I’d seen it advertised somewhere before. Going off these, £12 x 2000 = £24k, so under £20k my guess would be if you asked someone?
View attachment 1152781

Saw that also, wonder how you’d find out who they are buying it off to raffle or

 

[Al R]

Saw that also, wonder how you’d find out who they are buying it off to raffle or

I assumed you’d found the company as you had a picture of the exact same shed and stone wall in the corner…

 

[Dunnock1987]

I assumed you’d found the company as you had a picture of the exact same shed and stone wall in the corner…

Nope just found the photo without their branding stickers over the top unfortunately

 

[Al R]

Nope just found the photo without their branding stickers over the top unfortunately

Ah ok, this is the 5th one they’ve done of the same shed I think

 

[Dunnock1987]

Ah ok, this is the 5th one they’ve done of the same shed I think

Would be a lot handier if I won it for 11.97

 

[johnspeehs]

Saw that also, wonder how you’d find out who they are buying it off to raffle or

Where abouts in NI are you?, no end of shed builders here.

 

[johnspeehs]

Depends how many cattle you want to keep but with the price of straw here Id say slats and rubber mats on them are the best bet, a tank and slats for a shed that size would be the most of 20k though id have thought if it would even do it.

 

[Al R]

Buildings Focus: A cheap and tidy 3-bay slatted unit for 20 cows in Co. Galway - Agriland.ie

In this week's Buildings Focus, AgriLand caught up with Michael Boyle from Milltown, in Co. Galway, who runs a suckler-to-beef enterprise.

www.agriland.ie

This is where the shed is!!! He used slats and did it for €30,000 in 2020.

 

[ali j]

I put a bit of a shed up this past 3 years. 100x60. 3x20’ pens across both gables 2 links or 32’ deep. A raised scrap passage about 11’ wide leave bedding area 21’ deep. Will hold 10-11 year old stores comfortably and can be fed meal on top of silage. At 2 years old or 700kg will really only hold 8 bullocks. Again all can feed at one time. Stores would probably use 3-4 round bales week big cattle maybe bale less but they dung dryer because being fed heavy meal. When I priced tank and slats at start payback was 15 years. This year is an hopefully an exception for straw prices. I bed a bit every other night and clean out passage on Saturday in 45 minutes. Probably as dear away to do it but sure.

 

[BuskhillFarm]

Technically a slatted shed vs a non slatted will be the same price, as you’ll need to build the straw shed twice as big and also need somewhere to store the straw, and the cost of bales!!
Slats every time for all but the calves!

 

[ali j]

That too is a valid point

 

[the gCuan]

Technically a slatted shed vs a non slatted will be the same price, as you’ll need to build the straw shed twice as big and also need somewhere to store the straw, and the cost of bales!!
Slats every time for all but the calves!

Plus time

 

[yoki]

Unless you're going to be feeding hay don't even consider straw bedding.

On silage you'll need double the amount of straw and the beasts will still always be filthy.

If feeding hay however, a small number of cattle, and you've room to store the straw and don't mind the work bedding, then I'd have no qualms about going for straw. For me anyway there's something about stock in a nice straw bedded shed that you'll never get with them on any sort of slatted floor.

 

[ali j]

Why so many large bedded sheds then. That’s a serious question. Yes in Northern Ireland there’s a lot of tanks especially for milk men but there is a lot of debt due to capital overspending that may never be paid but due to milk checks can be serviced.

 

[egbert]

Why so many large bedded sheds then. That’s a serious question. Yes in Northern Ireland there’s a lot of tanks especially for milk men but there is a lot of debt due to capital overspending that may never be paid but due to milk checks can be serviced.

there's as likely to be as many answers as examples.

Prime reasons...
Slatted cattle shed is expensive and absolutely single purpose.
You can't do much anything else with it.

Tenants less likely to go for slats.

Change-of-use aspirations.

Availability of cheap straw.

Dislike of seeing beasts lying on slats.


A compromise for adult cattle...slats behind cubicles, feed barrier up against slats.

 

[Davy_g]

Coming at this as very new to building my own cattle house so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am in Northern Ireland so if anyone has any recent steer on prices it would be appreciated.
is there much of a difference in price to have a cattle house with slates and a pit underneath as compared to just concrete floors and how much so?
and secondly what would roughly be the price to have a shed the size of the picture, I have attached not including gates/feeding barriers.
and would the tinned sides be better or wooden panels. Again pros cons and prices etc.
I am trying to expand the family farm and I am trying to get a rough price from some of yous who are a lot more knowledgeable than I am to see if it would be worth the investment.
many thanks

A tank can cost as much as the shed above depending on the digging and what beams / slats etc are needed. Could be as little as half.
Consider vented tin as an alternative to yorkshire boarding - deends on your prevailing wind and rain directon.
A tank is an investment especially if you are comitted to farming and have the ability to use the slurry. A solid floor still has run off but the shed can be easily used for other things in the future.

 

[ringi]

A large solid floor shed is partly an investment in being able to bypass some of the planning system in 10 years time.